District judge race turns ugly in Lower Southampton, Middletown

Wednesday

The district judge race for a recently expanded magisterial district has turned ugly with allegations of misleading campaign literature and lack of transparency among candidates.

Daniel Baranoski and Steven Castle are retired career Bucks County police officers. They are both registered Republicans.

Each is seeking a six-year seat serving the magisterial district court whose territory includes Penndel, Langhorne, Middletown, Langhorne Manor and Lower Southampton. The candidates have cross-filed to appear on the Republican and Democratic ballots on May 21 primary.

They also are entangled in what has come to be an ugly campaign that has included a court challenge, allegations of misleading campaign materials and a lack of transparency with fundraising.

The vitriol revolves around the district’s newest municipality, Lower Southampton, which was added last year after the district court there was eliminated as a result of low caseload volume. The closure followed the December 2016 indictment and eventual removal of former Lower Southampton District Judge John Waltman, who is expected to be sentenced next month after admitting to participating in money laundering, extortion and bribery while on the bench.

Castle, 59, lives in Lower Southampton, where he was a police officer for 25 years until he retired, according to his campaign website. He also owns a landscaping and garden nursery business in the township that has operated for 35 years.

He has listed drug abuse and recovery as his top priority, and says he has been involved in thousands of criminal cases and as a former police officer is familiar with the law, according to his website.

Castle also touts his “common sense plan” to help residents includes resolving disputes, fair hearings, holding criminals accountable, teaching kids right from wrong “without ruining their futures,” interacting with the community and using his business experience to eliminate backlogs and protect taxpayers.

Baranoski, 53, of Middletown, has served as the court’s district justice for the last 12 years and handled more than 68,000 cases, according to his campaign website.

Before he retired in 2007, Baranoski was a detective for the Middletown Police Department for 23 years working major crime and drug investigations. He also is the current vice president of the Special Court Judge Association of Pennsylvania, a private professional organization representing magisterial district judges, municipal court and traffic court judges of Philadelphia.

On his campaign website, Baranoski touts more than 300 hours of law and ethics training to date, part of the continuing education requirements for magisterial district judges. He also highlighted his work with the Neshaminy School District on programs to fight truancy, his assistance in developing veterans' court programs at the district court level, and implementing community service programs for juveniles and first-time offenders.

The first sign of discord in the race was in March when five individuals who live in the magisterial district attempted to have Castle’s name removed from the primary ballots, contending that he violated state Election Code and campaign finance law and provided false information on his candidate affidavit. A Bucks County Common Pleas judge denied the petition on the grounds the individuals failed to prove the alleged violations supported removing Castle's name. An appeals court upheld the denial.

“Baranoski for Judge” committee Chairman Stephen Linden then filed complaints with a half dozen state and county agencies requesting they investigate the allegations, a move that “Castle for Judge” campaign committee Chairman Ron Doster has called a “political stunt.”

The allegations of false and misleading campaigning have escalated in recent weeks on social media.

On his campaign Facebook page, Castle has claimed the Lower Southampton Republican Committee endorsed his candidacy, but none of the Republican committees in the magisterial district endorsed a candidate for the district judge race, according to Jamie Waters, chairman of the Middletown Republican Committee.

The Lower Southampton Republican Committee posted on its Facebook page that Castle is its “recommended” candidate, but his name cannot appear on literature as party supported. The Democratic committees in Lower Southampton and Middletown both endorsed Baranoski, who claims Castle is using the endorsements to paint him as a Democrat.

The Castle campaign approved mailers alleging Baranoski is receiving a “full disability pension” from Middletown police while continuing to work and collect a salary as a district judge, but Baranoski accuses the campaign of distorting the facts about his retirement.

“After 23 years of service, I was forced to retire after being injured in the line of duty. Since the doctors agreed that it was not safe for me to continue working as a police officer, I do receive a partial disability pension, no medical benefits, from the police pension fund that I had contributed to during my entire career,” he said in an email response for comment. “It doesn’t mean that I am not allowed to work in a different profession.”

This news organization cannot verify disability claims because health records of public employees are not public records under the Pennsylvania Right to Know Law and private health records are also protected under the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Baranoski accused Castle of not being transparent about some of his campaign support; he pointed to finance records that show contributions from members of the Waltman family, including Jason McEwen, a former Lower Southampton Republican Committee Chairman, an elected Lower Southampton state constable, and Waltman’s nephew.

“Lower Bucks Leadership,” a Middletown political action committee, which Castle authorized to receive and disperse campaign funds on his behalf, has connections to the Waltman family as well, Baranoski said and records confirm. The committee received roughly $5,000 when a campaign committee associated with Waltman’s candidacy dissolved in 2017.

In an email, Castle declined comment on “any controversy my opponent is engaged in with Lower Bucks Leadership or issues on social media.” He did not comment on Waltman family members' financial support of his campaign.

He contended that Lower Bucks Leadership contacted him and offered to support his candidacy, describing the PAC as supporting Republican and Democratic candidates “who they believe have the best interest of Lower Bucks County and taxpayers in mind.”

“The position of magisterial district judge is one to be earned; it is not a lifelong appointment,” Castle added. “I am happy to prove myself to the voters, as I go door to door asking for their support. I am happy to prove myself to the people.”

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